(CNN) – We did pre-trip tests, quarantine on arrival and “greed-free” flights. Now there is something new in the travel industry’s battle against the pandemic: “no-greed” trains.
The concept is being launched in Italy, the first European country to be hit hard by Covid-19, which, a year later, faces a feared third wave.
But the country’s top rail operator announced plans for “greedy-free” trains, including for Italy’s top tourist destinations this summer.
Gianfranco Battisti, CEO of the state-owned Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, said that on these trains, both passengers and employees will be tested for Covid-19 before boarding. Passengers must arrive at the station one hour before departure.
“We are going to launch a covid-free train in early April,” said Battisti.
“We chose the Rome-Milan route for the initial testing phase. Then, we will implement it for tourist destinations during the summer.
“It will be a unique opportunity that will allow people to visit destinations like Venice and Florence.”
The company is working with the Red Cross and the Italian Civil Protection on the tests. A spokesman for Trenitalia told CNN that further details cannot be confirmed at this time. However, Rome-Milan tickets are expected to go on sale soon on Frecce high-speed trains.
Currently, Italian trains operate at 50% capacity. Passengers must wear masks and, on high-speed trains, where reservation is mandatory, they must sit in their assigned seats.
Battisti’s comments were made at a presentation in Rome of the “health train”, or “health train” – a mobile hospital with eight carriages designed to care for patients transported between regions. It was developed while Italy struggles with a third wave of Covid-19, and some regional health services are under more pressure than others.
The train – which has three ICU wagons equipped with fans – may even take passengers abroad, if necessary.
Meanwhile, 11 major train stations across Italy will allocate “screening” areas, to be administered by the Red Cross – presumably to be used for services without Covid.
The centers include Rome, Milan, Florence, Naples, Venice Mestre and Bari, for those traveling to beach resorts in Puglia.
Termini station in Rome is also expected to become a center for the vaccination program, which the government has promised to speed up, as many Italians in their 80s are still waiting for their injections.